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i am thinking about the same thing. i actually asked for the class for a Christmas present..well, i asked for the half cow class. a butchering class. i think you have to do a butchering class first before you take the Sausage class.

i am definately keeping a hog head for head cheese next pig butchering day. this doesnt look that difficult. haha.

i am hoping to get the class in San Francisco.

(my wife got me one flying lesson instead..this happens on the 24th, could be my last day here on earth )

I trained under Polcyn and do a good amount of curing professionally. And I think if you are trying to cut the learning curve, a day class could be a good idea.

Charcuterie seems more complicated and fickle than it really is, at least until you get into the dry-cured stuffs. It's more about having a few good pieces of equipment (grinder, stuffer, butchers twine) and the confidence to give it a go. I think the class would be great for familiarizing yourself with the basic principles and the equipment.

Are you just looking to do fresh sausage or the dry-cured/fermented types? I'll be honest, the book Charcuterie by Polcyn leaves a bit to be desired. Some of the ratios are off, culture, salt and spice mix wise. But the book covers a lot of ground and is generally a good reference. Bertolli's Cooking by Hand is a great resource, one I prefer to Charcuterie.

Fresh sausages are super easy compared to their dry-cured cousins. I'd start there then move into basic curing like the duck breast recipe posted about. Then maybe into fermented sausages if you have the setup for it.